Title: ARTmind: The Healing Power of Sacred Art
Artist: Alex Grey
www.sacredmysteries.com

All in all, this is a remarkable 79 minutes. Alex Grey's metaphysical art is some of the most striking and distinctly recognizable of our era. Most often his work depicts luminous human forms whose transparent skin reveals a dense world of organs, light and (somehow) spirit, both within them and connecting them with all that surrounds them, through radiant mandala of evocative patterns or colors.

Whether one appreciates his style from the gut or just from the intellect, one cannot help but recognize a certain genius. The New York Times is quoted on the cover of this DVD: "Grey's vision of a flawed but perfectible mankind stands as an antidote to the cynicism and spiritual malaise prevalent in much contemporary art."

In this presentation, Grey speaks to an unseen listener about his own work and history as well as about spiritual and psychedelic experiences which have opened his "doors of perception." As we view the details of his paintings and others', he also discusses the artists and philosophers who most notably influenced him. He draws interesting parallels between the traditional shaman and the transcendental artist, who undertakes a similar journey in translating the indescribable through art, and, in doing so sometimes facilitates awakening and healing of collective consciousness.

The piece is admirably and lovingly edited and quite absorbing, despite Grey's sometimes longwinded explanations. It succeeds in illuminating Grey's methods and motivations for portraying or revealing dimensions of life beyond the three normally employed in visual art; it kindles and inspires awareness of that which animates and connects all living beings; and it stokes the viewer's desire to see Grey's work up close and in at least three dimensions.